


La Mano, La Testa, Il Cuore

by MikaHaeli8



Category: Jak and Daxter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Blood, Consensual Infidelity, Domestic Violence, Early Work, FanFiction.net Import, Jak II, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Secret Son, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-27
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-01-14 00:09:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1245424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MikaHaeli8/pseuds/MikaHaeli8
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A man struggling with his Dark side. Another man determined to destroy him. The woman who must choose between then. Who is The Hand, who is The Head, who is The Heart? Jak II-set, AU for many reasons. Rated for language/ sex/ violence/ strong themes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Particularity

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this about 2.5yrs ago on FF.net. However, in my attempt to clean up my online footprint, I'm transporting my works over here. This is one of them. Enjoy.
> 
> ~Mika

_One, two._

He reached and pushed his entire body up towards the ledge above him. He was exhausted, having wandered about this place for what felt like hours. He was almost _there_ now. He felt the putrid air lazily caress his fingertips as it swept over him and his companion, dissipating in the higher, darker reaches of the room. Sometimes, after this particular moment in this particular day, he would always wonder why this room was always open and why those boxes – whatever their purpose was – were stacked in such a way as to allow an easy escape.

_C'MON, Jak. One. Two._

"C'mon, tough guy. Sure you haven't forgotten how to grab _ledges?_ Last I checked, you got opposable thumbs after all!"

Jak said nothing, apart from uttering a grunt of frustration. Never mind the shock of seeing another part of the palace other than the cramped and putrid cell in which he'd spent what was left of his twenty-second year of living and the subsequent two birthdays. He snorted when Daxter had told him how long he'd spent and replied, rather dryly, that he felt three, maybe four times his told age.

_One._

He took a deep breath, coiling his body, tensing it. For once, Daxter wasn't talking, allowing him to think.

_Two._

He leapt up and grabbed the edge, letting out the breath he'd been holding in, lifting his head up as far as he could. Behind him, Daxter applauded, letting out a loud "WHOO!" that echoed around the room.

"Dax! D'you want us to be recaptured by Krimzon Guards and tortured for _another_ two years?" Jak hissed, purple Eco sparks coming off him.

"Yeah, well, if they try then they gotta go through me first!" Daxter proclaimed boisterously. Despite himself, a small smile made itself known on Jak's face. _Ah, buddy, I've missed you._

He hauled himself up on the box, stabilising himself as the box wobbled slightly. He crouched down, palms flat on the box, heart beating, ready to leap in case the box suddenly collapsed or fell altogether. When the reunited duo were certain that the box was stable, Jak straightened up, taking tentative steps towards the large square hole in the wall, where the putrid wind that had caressed his fingertips before now hit him full-on in the face, filling every available orifice with a smell that made him recoil.

 _So this is what Haven smells like, huh,_ he noted dryly.

"So, I guess you're keen to get back to Keira, huh," Daxter remarked, just as dry as his best friend's thought.

 _Did he just –_ Jak whipped his head around. "Keira? She...she's still alive?" _Precursors,_ _am I still dreaming?_

"Yeah, she is." Daxter's gut warned him to stop there, not wishing to reveal to Jak what Keira's situation was, or whom. For the first time, he listened.

"Dax..." Jak's dark-blue eyes were wide open and staring at the ottsel. "How _is_ she? Does she think I'm dead? Is she okay? Has..." He faltered as his mind spoke the words his mouth refused. _Is she with someone else? Is he treating her right?_

Daxter shifted very uncomfortably on his best friend's shoulder even as the Eco-infused man hauled himself onto the flat brick of the gap.

_One._

He looked down at the three-storey jump below him. For the first time in a long time, he didn't buckle at the thought of a fatal jump. The deep breath he had taken in at 'one' was burning in his lungs, the oxygen well and truly replaced. Exhaling, he crouched.

_Two._

He closed his eyes, thought of Keira and jumped. When he stopped falling, he opened his eyes, amazed he hadn't broken a single bone during his jump.

 _Right_ , he thought to himself. _I've got a girlfriend to claim back._

"Right, buddy," Daxter said. "You got a girlfriend to get back,"

Jak gave him a look. "Since when have you been able to read minds?"

Daxter just wiggled his eyebrows. "Not just yours, but the _laydeez'_ minds too. They want a piece of me _really_. They _all_ do. They just pretend they don't."

Jak shook his head and moved off in the direction where he hoped the garage was.


	2. Anticipatory

The house was silent for once, the little one being fast asleep and his father not being home. Keira Hagai savoured those moments as they were increasingly becoming few and far between. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, making Keira jump out of her skin with surprise and terror. Heart pounding, she ran to the door, opening it to see a thin, tattooed face, light blue eyes staring straight at her.

"Torn?" she gasped.

"Is _he_ home?" he said, speaking in a low and urgent tone and looking around in case the 'he' in question was home.

"No, he won't be back til late. Come in quick, before someone sees you," she replied in her usual slightly gravelly tone. Torn complied and the young woman clicked the door shut behind her. She leaned against it, uttering a long sigh of relief.

"How's Daniel?" Torn asked, shedding his coat. Keira took it before he dropped it on the floor as he usually did.

"He's good, he's asleep right now. How's being in the KG?"

Torn twisted his mouth in answer.

Keira's shoulders fell. "You should leave..."

"I'm about to. I was going to hand in my notice today," Torn replied. "Look, Keir...I don't know how much longer I can keep seeing you before someone starts to get suspicious..."

"Why? It's not like I'm playing away," she said, tilting her chin in defiance. "Although the way he treats me, I might as well be whoring myself out to the entire male population of Haven." She unconsciously rubbed her exposed forearms.

The older man gave a dry chuckle. "You're saying I should leave and yet you...you're more his prisoner than Jak."

The mechanic's head shot up at the name. "Have you heard anything about – ?"

Torn bit the inside of his cheeks, wondering if he should answer.

"No, then." Her tone was disappointment wrapped up in a ribbon of bitterness. She pulled her shoulders in, folding her arms protectively over her torso, hands on her biceps as if she was cold. It had been two whole years since Jak disappeared and every day, she was more and more convinced that his body was rotting in the stomach of a Metal Head or worse, being eroded by the Wasteland sands. She was understandably anxious, but she couldn't voice those anxieties to Erol. Talking about Jak would more than upset him and he was volatile enough.

"Keir, I'm sorry. If I heard anything, you'd be the first I'd tell." The Commander's tone was uncharacteristically gentle.

"Then why did you come here?" Her tone was uncharacteristically cold.

The other man took a step back. "To see how you and Daniel were? To see if you'd heard anything before me?"

"Thought you'd know more, given that the last time anyone saw him, he was fighting KGs," she snapped. Suddenly, she seemed to shudder, her face and body dropping its defensive shield. "I..." She swallowed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be that...that w-way." She locked her jaw, saying no more. _I'm turning into Erol._

Torn ran his tongue over his lips. "I understand."

"Y-you'd better go. Before Erol gets back," she whispered, eyes lowered to the ground.

"Yeah," he replied thickly, voice hoarse. As hard as his exterior was, letting people down played greatly on his softer side. He took his coat from Keira's hand, his fingers accidentally brushing against hers. Her green eyes shifted to meet his paler ones and for just a moment, the world stopped spinning. Breaking the gaze, Torn shouldered his coat and continued down the small hallway, opening the door and slamming it shut again.

A split second after that, Keira heard small footsteps above her, and she fled up the stairs to tend to her son. Somehow he'd managed to unlock the door, despite the fact the locks were above his reach. His mother shook her head and chuckled, scooping her toddler up in her arms and holding him close, bringing him out onto the landing.

"A troublemaker. Just like your father," she whispered in his ears. Daniel Hagai had only known Erol as a father. Keira had stayed with the Captain out of desperation, his untoward behaviour commencing the following night. He had backed off through the pregnancy, but after Daniel was born it only got worse.

Several times Keira had either vowed to escape or tried to. Each time, he always caught her.

In the present, she squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face in her son's hair. "I promise you, Daniel. Soon. As soon as I hear about – "

_SLAM._

Diving back into Daniel's bedroom, Keira looked furtively at the clock. _No. It can't be that time already, can it? Please Mar, don't let it be that time!_

That last door slam rang like the chimes of doom in her ears. Then she heard him yell.

"KEIRA! Where are you?"

"It's okay, Danny," she softly reassured her frightened son. "Just stay here, okay? I'll go and see what Daddy wants..."

"Are you in here? Get down here! _Now!_ "

She squeezed her son one last time before walking out the room, closing the door behind her and trying to resign herself to what she knew was coming.


	3. Prosperity

_Mar damn it, where_ am _I?_

Either the city had changed in the two years of Jak's imprisonment, the Dark Eco in his system had affected his memory, he was just getting older or all of the above.

"Left here," Daxter suddenly interjected as Jak passed an alley.

He skidded to a halt in surprise. "You can _remember_ this stuff?"

"Yeah, course. I didn't spend the last two years runnin' 'round this place without pickin' up a few...uh, memories." Daxter smirked as said memories flooded back to him. Jak raised his eyebrows, taking the advised left. Shaking his head, he ventured onwards, wishing there was some sort of light so he could at least see where he was –

"Ay, Daxter!" a voice said, followed by a flood of light from a side door which had obviously just opened.

"Ah, Johann! How ya doin', buddy?" the ottsel greeted cheerfully, juxtapose with the undercurrent of nervousness in his tone. The man he addressed as 'Johann' spoke with a foreign accent.

"Daxterrh...You owe me money, yes?"

"Hey, Jo, bud, I said I'll get it to ya soon!"

"Ay, Daxter, but that was over a year and a half ago!" The silhouette of the man put his hands on his hips. "I am running into debt and I have need of the moneys right now."

"Johann, Johann." Daxter showed his palms to the stranger, attempting to pacify him. "Buddy. I'm sorry for your trouble, but I can't help you right this minute. I gotta get this guy back home, 'kay? Jak, _run_!" he hissed to the blonde man, who happily began to comply, but was soon stopped by the barrel of a large gun.

"Oh no, Daxter. You and your owner aren't going anywhere!"

"Hey! He's not my owner! If anything I own him! Jak, kill!"

He was met with a scathing look.

Daxter turned his attention back to the large Dutch/Italian man. "Johann, let's be reasonable...we can talk..."

"De time for talking is over, rat!" Johann hissed. Two muscled goons flanked both sides of the foreigner and he barked an order at them.

"Uhh, Jak...I think we better run?" Daxter's voice rose so high in pitch he was almost shrieking. Jak, however, felt the familiar raring-for-a-fight feeling pooling in his gut like a refreshing drink.

"Nuh uh, Dax. I'm not running this time." With a smirk, Jak spin-kicked a muscled goon's shin, sending him flying to the floor. Rounding on the other creature, he sent a fist flying into its stomach, causing it to double over in agony. Jak was just about to organise a meeting between his foot and the goon's nose when suddenly, a roar ripped from his throat as his appearance changed completely, eyes blackening, skin and hair a strange ash-purple colour. Dark claws sprouted from his fingertips, bursting through his skin.

A new desire came over him; the desire to kill. He never remembered what happened during the next five or ten minutes; however long that he was 'like this', as he would later call it. All he knew is that those goons were big silhouetted lumps of still muscle and black blood pooling from their bodies and his hands were covered in it.

"Shit!" he hissed as he heard voices growing in a crescendo down the alleyway.

"Uh, Jak?" Daxter said nervously. "I think _now_ is the time to run – "

Without another word, Jak took off faster than his legs could carry him. As Daxter inexplicably yelled directions in his long ears, he followed them, his instinct reacting as he flew. _This feels familiar,_ he thought. _Why does it feel so familiar?_

He didn't have long to wonder as Daxter suddenly yelled "STOOOOOOOPPPPPP!", which Jak did. He skidded to a halt, breathing heavy, heartbeat so fast he could barely feel it. Something throbbed in his head, causing waves of pain to spread through it – no doubt the effects of whatever had just happened to him.

"Shit!" he breathed, long and desperate, doubling over to regain his breath. He had his eyes shut, so he didn't take in where he was. A freezing cold breeze caressed his face lazily.

"Hey! What you did back there?" Daxter piped up.

"Mmmm?" Jak grunted.

"That was cool. Do it again."

"Shi..." Jak shook his head. "I...Daxter...it must have been s-something he did. I...can't control it!" He squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing slower now, more controlled – which was more than he could say for his Dark side. "It was the Dark Eco..."

"Yeah, I thought it was sumthin' like that," Daxter agreed. "Buddy, straighten up. Take a deep breath...and look where you are."

It was rare that Daxter was listened to by _anyone_ , but for the millionth time that night, Jak did as his furry best friend said. He blinked a few times to regain control of his vision before looking around. Clear skies. Open lawns. High walls, structuring everything. Statues of Mar dotted here and there.

Several flights of stairs.

_Holy shit, I'm home._

"I'm home?" he breathed, not trusting his own mind.

"Yeah, buddy." Daxter replied, a grin crossing his face. "You're home free."

For the first time in two years, the tortured young man let a cleansing sigh ripple through him as a great weight was lifted off his shoulders.

_I'm home..._

He turned to head into the Stadium, heading towards the garages. He looked at the clock hanging along the walls. Nine a.m.

She'd be there. He knew it.


	4. Endlessly

_**10a.m.** _

Keira, Erol and Daniel ate at the table together as always. Erol would never have it any other way and if it was, he ensured Keira knew it was _his_ way or she and her son would be on the streets. The mechanic kept her head down, avoiding Erol's intense gaze as she fed her son one bite at a time before turning to her own food. She also resisted the urge to press her glass of water to her face to tend to the large purple bruise Erol had painted on her face last night.

"So, Hagai, you never answered my question," he said quietly. "You've been avoiding my question for the best part of two years."

Keira began trembling. She knew what he was implying.

"I assume you realise I'm talking about little Danny's father." He leant back in his chair, staring at his fingers in a very casual way. "No...you _know_ , Keira. You know, don't you?"

She fought the urge to recoil at 'Danny'. Nobody called him that but _her_. Still, she continued feeding him, spooning dribbles into his mouth. His calm blue eyes gazed at her as if he was trying to read her inner thoughts. Her heart twisted in sadness.

Erol sat back, tapping his spoon on the table. "Are you avoiding my question again?"

"No," she replied quietly, keeping her gaze on her son.

"Who is little Danny's father?" the Captain queried again. His voice was low and dangerous, preceding something only Keira knew. "I swear he looks like someone I know. Or rather, someone I _knew_..."

Keira kept her jaw clenched, hands shaking as she continued feeding her son. It was mechanical more than necessary now. Silence screamed in her head like a high-pitched whistle. The sound permeated her long, sensitive ears and pierced her skull.

"His father disappeared before he was born, right?"

"Right," Keira echoed in that same raspy tone.

Erol leant forward, smiling maliciously. "And that was just before you came to me,"

"Yes," she replied shortly.

"Before you even knew you were expecting him,"

"Yes," she lied, hardly daring to breathe. Her heartbeat hummed in her ears, joining with the high-pitched whistle of silence. Daniel coughed and she wiped his mouth automatically.

"So, the question remains..." Erol took a long drink, setting it down on the table. The hollow 'thonk' that came from it hit Keira's head, causing it to hum with pain. _Go, Erol. Just go out. Go and bully innocent civilians. Go and kill people. Just_ go _..._

"Who, Keira?" His tone was soft, coaxing an answer. "Who co-created this beautiful little boy, hmm? Who _really_ brought him into the world?" He plastered a soft smile on his face, brushing one finger under the toddler's chin. The little boy's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, frozen, like his mother, in abject fear. The blue-haired mechanic's body was rock. _If you hit him, I'll kill you..._

It seemed like an age before Erol's finger left Daniel's chin. He then turned his steely-eyed gaze upon his girlfriend (his prisoner; his slave) and narrowed his eyes, tone growing harsh.

"Who willingly fucked _you_ and brought him into the world, eh?"

Her head shot up and she met his eyes. _Two years. It's been too long_.

He whistled in response, getting up and lazily strolling around the table to stand behind her chair. "You're giving me the 'bastard' look again, Keira. You're giving me that look. You know where that look _gets_ you?" He slammed his hands down on her shoulders and squeezed them hard, causing her to stiffen up in pain. She kept on staring ahead whilst he lowered his head and hissed in her ear. "You know where that gets you, whore."

Daniel began to cry beside the pair. Erol ignored him, sliding his hands slowly up Keira's neck, chin and ears, all the way up to her scalp. To the casual observer, it was almost seductive. He suddenly and violently knotted his hands deep in her hair until his nails were scratching her scalp. Slowly, he closed his hands into a fist, trapping her hair between his fingers. Keira heard and felt hairs being ripped from her scalp and she fought the urge to wince and flinch in pain, or even move to comfort her son whilst he howled in obvious distress.

"I have to go now," he hissed, "but I'll deal with you later!"

Suddenly releasing her long blue locks, he left the house, slamming the door after him. The mechanic didn't move until she was sure he'd gone. She reached over to Daniel, held him in her arms and rocked him back and forth, trying to comfort him as he wailed.

"I know, Danny," she whispered, tears making tracks down her own pale face. Her scalp throbbed from Erol's hands. "I know...I know...It's now, darling. It has to be." _I'll die if I stay here._ She stood up and fled upstairs to her room, setting Daniel down on the bed and dragging out a suitcase. She opened all her drawers and flung everything of hers into it, not wishing to further contaminate them with Erol. She sobbed gasping, breathy sobs as she emptied the house of everything that was hers and Daniel's, locking him into his pram in the hallway.

Once they were out, she stood on the porch one final time, surveying the house. Despite the cold air of the house, she already felt the sunlight on her face.

"So long, Erol," she whispered, throwing the keys into the house and slamming the door shut, only to turn and see Torn waiting in his Hellcat.

"Come on!" he yelled.

 _You've got some timing, Commander._ Keira nodded ferverently, running up the path to the waiting vehicle. Opening the boot, she unlocked Daniel from the pram, putting that and everything else in it before slamming it shut again. She hopped into the passenger side, buckling herself and Daniel up together.

"I quit today!" Torn yelled.

"You did?" Keira almost laughed in joy. "That's two of us free then!"

Torn nodded. "Anywhere else you need to go?"

The mechanic's green eyes widened in shock as she realised that there was. "The garages! I need to get my tools."

"The Stadium?" he queried. Keira nodded. The former Commander stamped on the accelerator pedal and the Hellcat shot off, leaving behind nothing but bad memories and two entirely haunted years.


	5. Shared Memory

The familiar smell hit him like a punch from the past as he walked into the garage. He would often spend long hours here with Keira here as she worked around him, helping her occasionally and always bringing her hot drinks when her energy flagged. In the present day, as his fingertips brushed the familiar textures, he wondered if this new man of hers sat in the garage with her when she worked. His heart fell with the weight of bitterness and anger. Since being sprung from prison, he hadn't had time to stop and wonder why she didn't wait. She was usually so steadfast, waiting patiently. Precursors knew that she'd waited to kiss him long enough.

 _What's changed you?_   he silently asked. _What could have happened..._

"These don't look like they've been used in years," his best friend commented, ever the first to break the silence and Jak's train of thought. He rubbed his fingertips, seeing that they were covered with an ashen sheen. _Dust._

"At least two," he agreed out loud.

"I guess this new man o' hers wouldn't let her use her tools?" Daxter ventured, suggesting more than he knew. "Though, honestly, I can't imagine any man bein' able to handle her, though I'm sure _I_ would be able to..."

Ignoring the reference to Keira's 'new man', Jak stopped, sending a particular look to his best friend. "Ya mind not hitting on my girlfriend?"

"No offence buddy, but in case it's escaped your attention, she ain't been your girlfriend for the best part of two years,"

The escapee let out a sigh through his nose. He walked over to an inconspicuous tarpaulin-covered shape in the middle of the room and tentatively lifted a corner. Something glimmered in the dim light, further piqueing Jak's curiosity. With an uncharacteristically flamboyant flourish, he lifted the cover completely off the odd, lumpy shape.

What he saw made his heart buckle as memories suddenly flooded his brain.

~x~

_**Two years earlier** _

"Show me!"

"No, it's not finished!"

A bout of laughter.

"Please, Keir. You've been keeping this secret for _ages_."

The mechanic folded her arms. "No."

" _Plllleeeeeeaaassseee!_ " the blonde whined like a child.

She raised her eyebrows in response. "Not if you're gonna whine at me like that."

"Can I at least have a _hint?_ "

"Oh, _okay_ ," she huffed melodramatically. "But you can't tell anyone else!"

Jak drew a finger over his chest in a cross.

"Vehicle."

" 'Kay, so it's a Zoomer. Like every other vehicle in this place."

She looked hurt. "Jak, I said I'd give you a hint and I did. 'Sides, this one's special."

"Special how?"

She leaned in close, tapping his nose. "That's for me to know. Now go! Don't you have some Metal Heads to fight or somethin'?"

The warrior folded his arms stubbornly. "Not until you tell me why this Zoomer's special."

She sighed again, rolling her eyes. "This one's got three seats instead of the usual two, and it's got some protection in the back seat instead of being completely open. A seatbelt. You can't tell anyone _else_ about this!"

"Not even Daxter?" her boyfriend teased, smirking.

"ESPECIALLY not Daxter!" Despite herself, Keira chuckled.

"Question."

"Yes?"

"Why make a Zoomer with three seats?"

She opened and shut her mouth like a fish, wondering whether to tell him or not. Before her brain decided, however, her mouth spat out a half-truth. "A...There's a gap in the market. F-for families, you know, with a little one." _Or a little one on the way._

The blonde man nodded, swallowing the lie smoothly. "Ah, right. Gap in the market. I see."

 _Like us, Jak._ At least she thought so. She was only going on a feeling and missed periods. She had yet to take a test or go to the doctor's to confirm it. She shook the thoughts from her head and laughed at her boyfriend. "Yes. Now go! And for the love of Mar, _please_ do not break the Hoverboard again."

"Or...?" One green eyebrow raised.

Keira ran a finger down his chest suggestively. "Or I won't give _your_ parts a going over later, if you know what I mean. I think you do."

An 'ah' escaped the young man's mouth. "Got it," he nodded, cheeks colouring. "Do not crash Hoverboard or – "

"YES," Keira said loudly to cut him off. "Now go and beat up some KGs or something. Just don't break anything and keep safe." She kissed him once, a brief, fiery kiss, and then pushed him out the garage door, shutting it with a giggle.

He scratched his head and walked off, chuckling to himself.

~x~

_**Present** _

Keira snapped back to reality just as Torn pulled up outside the Memorial Stadium, lowering it enough to allow Keira to reassure her son that she'd be back and hop down from the vehicle. Facing her garage for the first time in months, she sighed, shaking her head. _No Erol to stop you now,_ she reminded herself, a surge of encouragement and liberation rippling through her. Carefully pacing into the room, she inhaled the faded scent of oil and sweat, catching a hint of what she swore was Jak, which made her heart ache. Although she'd pretended to give him up for dead just to make Erol back off from asking the question about Daniel's father, she'd never stopped hoping he'd suddenly turn up one day, irritatingly cocky grin on his face.

Snapping herself out of her reverie, she grabbed her slightly dusty tool bag, snatching tools off the wall one at a time, being careful not to hit herself. Her heart raced in her chest, her breathing quickened and she felt lightheaded, almost euphoric; unable to believe she was free. It had finally hit her with all the full force of one of _his_ punches.

She allowed herself a joyous little laugh.

"I've missed that laugh..."

Her laugh freezing in her throat with her body, she turned slowly, hands feeling for the wall. She recognised that voice. She knew it all too well.

"Jak?" she whispered. "That you?"

She couldn't see him. However, she noticed that the still-unfinished three-seat Zoomer in the centre of the room was uncovered.

"What's that doing...?" she began to ask herself, frowning as she approached it, pulling the tarpaulin back over it. Suddenly, a scraping sound tugged her head up. Smoothing the tarpaulin, she cautiously padded round the front of it, craning her neck, peering into the shadows cast by the large machine.

"Yeah, honey, we're here," a dry voice spoke from the shadows, at which point Keira almost fell over in shock.

" _Daxter?_ " she hissed.

"And...?" a deeper male voice sounded.

A flood of recognition overwhelmed her. She said nothing for a while, choosing to get up and move towards the shadows. She _wanted_ to say it, especially given that her heart and mind knew it. She wanted it to be true.

"Jak...?"

"Yeah, honey." His voice became softer as he emerged from the darkness. "It's me."


	6. Triangularity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD, I'M SO SORRY. Apparently, I was transferring this story over from FF.Net, and at some point, I completely forgot about it. It was only when I got a kudos notification that I remembered >.

Erol strode confidently into the Palace, steadfastly ignoring everybody who stiffened up before and either side of him, getting out of his way. After this morning's little...incident, he felt a touch more confident than before, feeling a glow that normally only swept him post-coitus. He felt a little lighter today.

 _If only Keira would be more obedient_ , he thought, with just a whisper of regret underlining it _, rather than flirting with everything that moved_.

As quickly as that, his good mood disappeared, his blood boiling again, as it always did whenever he thought of her. Precursors, but he – _whoa, old boy, wait up._ He would admit he loved her, but that would be admitting weakness on his part. He...enjoyed controlling her. It gave him a sense of power his job did not.

"Erol," the deep, rumbling voice of the Baron reached his ears. "I need to speak with you. Come with me,"

Automatically, he stiffened up straight, giving an equally automatic salute. "Yes sir! What is the issue?"

"If you came with me, I would tell you," the Baron replied coolly.

Erol locked his jaw in something resembling embarrassment, dutifully following the Haven City leader into a large, sparsely-furnished room. The broad man in front suddenly stopped, turning to face the young man, who managed to stop before he bumped into him.

"First of all..."

"Yes?" the

"WHY DID YOU ALLOW THE PRISONER TO ESCAPE?" the older man roared, making Erol stumble back.

For a moment, the redhead was speechless, his murky eyes widening. "What? H-he _escaped?_ "

"Yes he did!" the Baron seethed, as red as the Guard policing the city. "Someone sprung him from the Programme. What I want to know is why you did not return to kill him after the Underground's attack on the Weapons Factory?"

Erol was understandably speechless. "Sir, I was on my way to do so, but further incidents pushed that act to the back of my mind – "

"And then completely out of it, clearly!"

"Sir, you yourself understand how strong the Underground was in those six months before yesterday!"

The Baron growled, turning his back on the Captain, cloak billowing dramatically, whipping the younger man in the face. A few lengthened, silent minutes passed before he spoke again. "Despite this...mishap, I've asked you here to make you an offer. Commander Torn resigned yesterday. That position is still open and you are now the best man for the job..."

"C-Commander?" Erol breathed, still recuperating from that tongue-lashing. "Me?"

"Yes. You." The Baron turned back to face him. "Don't tell me you haven't secretly wanted it all along. I've seen you in your dealings; you have the right amount of ruthlessness and mercilessness to become Commander. So? What's it to be?"

"With all due respect, sir, I think you know my answer," the newly-anointed Commander answered, feeling very lightheaded.

"Excellent." The Baron did not smile. "I'll inform the armoury about this. Meanwhile, you're dismissed, Commander."

Erol saluted again, struggling to maintain his composure. "Yes, sir," he replied stiffly, before turning and striding out the room, a sharp grin on his face.

He estimated his first real duty as Commander would be to find the freak.

Or if not, he'll hunt him down personally.

~x~

Outside the Stadium, Torn switched off the engine and shifted around in his seat, checking quickly on the silent toddler in the backseat. He wondered why Keira was taking so long; the day was getting brighter and his stomach was rumbling. Truthfully, he thought he'd heard voices before chiding himself – _you've been in the Guard too long, Torn._ Daniel was still awake, rich blue eyes wide and fixed on the door, waiting for his mother to return. There was fear in that child's eyes, something which got to the former Commander. Sometimes, especially with situations such as this, emotion made him uncomfortable.

He sighed, opening the door and hopping to the ground, slamming it shut behind him. Daniel gazed at him silently from over the car door, a plea in his eyes. Torn sighed.

"Oh, alright," he said gruffly. "Sit back, kid, I'm gonna open the door on ya. 'Kay?"

Daniel nodded and sat back. Torn opened the door, pushed it to the hinges' limits and reached out to the kid. He was a little reluctant at first, but eventually placed himself between Torn's hands, which then grasped him and lifted him to the ground. The little one staggered a bit before looking up at the former Commander, who then offered a hand.

"Come on then," he said. "Let's go see what Mummy's doing,"

Nodding, the boy wrapped his fingers around Torn's calloused index and middle finger, and the two males walked towards the stairs of the Stadium, the wind whistling in their ears.

~x~

Back in the Mar Memorial Stadium garage, Keira didn't know how to react. Truthfully, neither did Jak. Laying eyes on her for the first time in the best part of two years, he was shocked to see the change in her. Two years ago, she'd stood with confidence and a touch of pride; now, she almost cowered before him, her shoulders slightly hunched, pulled in defensively. She was also very thin, much thinner than she had been. What exposed flesh was covered in faint but sickening green and yellow patches like combat gear.

Or almost as if she had been the opponent of some vicious enemy.

Fear rested in her eyes instead of the light and love he saw whenever he looked at her. He wondered if she'd heard about his...Dark side; news travelled fast in this town. He wondered whether she had ever truly given up on him; how long she had waited before finding this new guy of hers.

In his (admittedly limited) experience, f there was a sign of a woman giving up on a man, it was finding a new one to replace him.

A new wave of bitterness and jealousy swept over him as he looked at her. Suddenly realising what he was feeling, he looked away so she couldn't see what the Baron and Erol had put in his eyes.

"Jak?" she said softly. "Wha...You're alive."

"Yes, alive and well," he said, the bitterness evident in his voice, still not looking at her. He heard a small gasp utter from her, but no other movements.

"Where have you been?" she asked him.

"You don't want to know," he said shakily, returning his vision to her.

"Jak – "

"Honestly, Keira. You really...don't want to know." _It changed me._

"Why do you sound so angry?" she said, softly, fearfully. "Why..." A shaky sigh. "You...y-you've changed. I can see that...I can tell..."

"People _do,_ Keir," he said roughly. "You've changed too. What happened? This new man of yours?"

"Keira, is everything okay in here?"

All eyes immediately cut to the door where a thin, tattooed man had just walked in, small toddler in his hand.

"Oh look, it's the walking work of art!" Daxter cut in, slightly unnecessarily.

" _Jak?_ " Torn's gaze fixated upon the changed twenty-four year old. "Shit. I didn't know you were alive..."

"You're only the second to find that out, Torn." Feeling his blood boil, the Dark Eco pushing at his skin, Jak cut back to Keira. "That means you can stop _hitting_ and _fucking my girlfriend_ now!"

The last thing he saw before blackness overtook him was Torn's eyes widening.

The last thing he felt was himself cutting through the air, hands aimed at the other man's throat.


	7. Tension-osity

Daniel released Torn's fingers and shot across the garage to his mother the second Jak launched for the former Commander. Luckily for the man, his reflexes kicked in just as the ashen creature launched for his throat. Diving out of the way, he curled up defensively as the Jak-creature's claws plummeted into the wall behind the pair with a low _boom_. With a snarl, it wrenched its claws free and whirled towards the fallen man. Uncurling, Torn delivered a kick to the creature's face when it got within range of his legs. It swiped angrily, roaring in pain, catching Torn's trouser leg with one black claw. The former Commander's head hit the floor as he was dragged by the ashen creature for a very painful minute before he got the material free of the claw. Whirling around, as if realising its prey was trying to escape, the creature stumbled towards Torn, claws now elongated to its fullest. It bent over and grabbed a handful of material, lifting the dreadlocked man off the ground – and off his feet. Nose to nose, face to face, Torn struggled to free himself from the creature's grip just as it drew its free claw back, aimed it and swung it towards –

" _Stop!_ "

That yell did its job, stopping the creature's claw dead, mere millimetres from its tattooed target.

Indicating to the terrified little boy in her arms that he should stay where he was, Keira slowly got up, standing up straight. Letting her eyes rest first on Torn and then the creature, which had reverted back to its normal self, she walked slowly towards the pair.

Jak, wearing a horrified expression, was still holding the soldier in the air.

"Jak, put him down," she said softly. Her lost boyfriend complied, scowling, no apology from his lips. She sighed, folding her arms almost defensively. "Look, Jak...Two years. It's...A lot can change in two years. A lot can happen,"

"No shit," Jak replied acerbically. "Evidently with _him_." He pointed at Torn to emphasise his point.

"No, it's not like that!" Keira pleaded, frightened he was going to "turn" again. "Not with him. Jak, he's _helped_ me and Danny over the last two years. He saved us today."

The blonde let out a long, low sigh. "Then who? Who've you been seeing? Whose prisoner have you been for the last two years?" He softened his tone. "Who changed you, Keir?"

"Who changed me?" she echoed, laughing humourlessly. "Who changed _you_ , Jak?"

Jak sighed internally, debating whether to tell her here and now. He had no time to make a decision before Daxter cut in.

"Uhhh, hey lovebirds, sorry to break up your little reunion, but can we discuss this somewhere else?"

"The rat's right," Torn agreed, although one could tell by his tone that he did not like agreeing with the ottsel. "Jak, you're probably being hunted. Keira..." _So are you. By the same person._ "We need to get away before we're found," he eventually finished. _Let Keira tell Jak who's been her captor for two years._ "Keira, you got everything you need?"

The young woman nodded ferverently. Jak wandered over, placing his hand on the three-seat Zoomer.

"You never finished this?" he queried, not looking at Keira, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

"He...wouldn't let me," Keira answered, lowering her eyes almost in shame.

A surge of anger swept Jak in its current, and once again, he wondered who could possibly have enough power to even attempt to control someone as headstrong – as strong overall – as Keira.

Control her enough to separate her from doing what she loved.

"Let's go," Torn said shortly, getting uncomfortable with the developing atmosphere between the newly reunited couple. They seemed to snap out of their stupor, Keira calling her son over, and everyone left the garage quickly, scrambling into the Hellcat.

"By the way, where _are_ we going? I'm pretty sure... _he_ knows every angle and plain of the city," Keira wanted to know, shuddering at the last part.

"The Bunker," Torn replied, smoothly pulling off the vehicle.

"The Bunker?" Jak queried again.

"Underground HQ," Keira whispered in his ear. "The hideout? You remember?"

For a moment, his brain didn't take in the words, so relieved was his body to feel Keira's touch for the first time in two years.

Then it sunk in.

"It's still going?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, course it is," Torn said dryly. "You'd think we'd stop without you?"

"Hey, Tattooed Wonder. Don't underestimate what he did before he disappeared!" Daxter interjected pointedly.

"Oh, like _you_ spent two years _only_ looking for him. I'm sorry, I _completely_ forgot about that," Torn replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Now shut up, rat, I gotta concentrate,"

"Don't you tell me to – " Daxter began indignantly before Jak slapped a hand over his mouth. Pushing it off, he looked indignantly at his best friend, who just looked at him back.

"So, Torn, you're still doing that double-agent thing you're a master at?" Jak asked the named man, an underscore of venom in his voice.

"Actually, I quit today,"

"Oh, so you've finally decided which side you're on then!"

Torn let out a long, loud, controlled breath and stomped on the accelerator pedal, causing the car to jolt.

"AH! Easy, ya walkin' work of art!" Daxter grumbled.

"Shut up, rat, or I'll go so fast you're gonna get thrown out of the damn thing," Torn growled.

Daxter shut up and clung onto Jak's shoulder pad safely.

~x~

_**Later** _

Keira smoothed down the blankets on the makeshift (single) bed she'd been given for the night. It was now nine in the evening and after the long day, she was exhausted. The same could not be said for Danny, who had made a new friend in the form of a small child known only as The Kid. Eerily to all concerned, the two mute little ones shared facial features that could only come from genetic relation – which was impossible due to the fact that as far as was known, the Kid had no family. Less eerily so, both children got on like a house on fire in their own silent manner.

"Danny! Beddy-byes!" Keira called when her young son bolted into the room, a blur of blue and yellow-tipped green in clothes and hair respectively. She moved so that he crashed into her arms, stopping instantly. Swooping him up and holding him tightly in her own, she swayed him back and forth, her green eyes looking deep into his own, wide blues. She listened out for footsteps before lowering her voice to a whisper. "You met your Daddy today. Not nasty Daddy, but your real Daddy."

Her son looked back at her, a protest in his eyes.

"I know...he was angry. Not at you, little one. Never at you," she whispered, smoothing down his hair. "I think...someone did something bad to him which made him angry. But the Jak I knew was never that...not before we came here." She shuddered, moving slowly towards Danny's own makeshift bed. "You know, Danny, Daddy and I have been here for seven years and...I don't like it. I still don't like it and I don't think I ever will." She sighed, holding him close. "I guess we're stuck here until I can get that damn Rider finished..."

Even breathing answered her. When she looked down, she noticed the toddler was asleep. Peeling back the covers with one hand, she laid him down gently, tucking his teddy under one arm. He curled up as if he was back in the womb, his little eyelids fluttering.

His mother kissed him once and tucked him in.

"He asleep?" a whispered voice behind her wanted to know.

Keira turned to see Jak. "Yeah. He is." _He's keeping himself close,_ she noted, _as if he's nervous_.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Uh, sure," she said before she could stop herself. Tentatively, so not to wake the toddler, he came in and sat on the floor. Letting out a slight sigh, she sat in front of him, legs crossed, arms loose just as he was. Jak longed to grab her hand, lace his fingers with hers as they used to, but he instinctively knew that wasn't the right time.

Several awkward moments passed between them before one of them spoke.

"So...you're back," she said, a little breathlessly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She saw that his hair had grown long in the last two years and she longed to run her fingers through it. She too instinctively knew that it wasn't the right time.

"Yup," he replied shortly.

"Where did you go?" she suddenly demanded, almost bitterly, tears beginning to flood her face. "You left me, Jak. Just when I needed you the most and you left..."

"Keir, I'm sorry. I really am," Jak said. "I wouldn't have left you. Not intentionally. But...things happened. Like you said...things...things changed."

"What?" she demanded again, folding her arms. "What happened?"

A long silence passed between them. The blonde raised his eyebrows, locking eyes with Keira.

"You sure you wanna know?"

Keira swallowed before nodding firmly.

"Okay." Jak let out a cleansing sigh. "You may want to get comfortable. It's a long story..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dryly* Yeahhh, I was really reaching with that chapter title, wasn't I.
> 
> ~Mika


	8. Anniversary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8! My favourite number... and replete with a sex scene at the end >.

_**Two years (and a few months) previously** _

For the first time that day, Keira looked out of the small window in the garage that faced out towards the large Stadium gardens. She was pleasantly surprised and slightly concerned to find that it was dark; she then looked at her clock. 11:30p.m. No other conviction needed that it was, indeed, night-time.

 _I'd better stop for the night and clean up_ , she thought to herself, putting her tools down. As much as she didn't want to, she realised she had to stop and go to bed before she exhausted herself completely. Cleaning her tools and hooking them back onto their proper latches, locking them as she went along, she suddenly found herself overwhelmed with exhaustion. Finally, as was her usual ritual, she drew the curtain along, concealing the three-seater Zoomer she'd just started constructing. A ripple of excitement held her tightly. She couldn't wait to finish it, to try and get it developed. Although families were not a large part of Haven City, she was sure there were at least a few who would be willing to buy and own a three-seater Zoomer.

Chuckling to herself, she pulled the shutters down and locked first the window and then the shutters themselves, before switching off all the lights, leaving the garage and locking the door. A breeze swirled between the open corridor between the garages and the stadium, lifting her hair gently. She chuckled again and climbed into her own Zoomer, pulling off and accelerating towards home. As she did so, her thoughts, as ever at this time of night when he wasn't here, wandered to Jak, out once again on another crazy mission from Torn. Although she knew he could take care of himself with Daxter on one shoulder and the Morph on the other, she was still breathless with fear that his lifeless body, or news of his death or disappearance, would reach her rather than his own living self.

Parking the Zoomer, she saw the lights weren't on in the house. A wave of disappointment surged through her as she unlocked the door and stepped inside, flipping the switches immediately. Light flooded the house, easing her immediately. Silence also flooded the house, though this did not unnerve her in the light. Switching the downstairs lights off but leaving the stair and upstairs lights on, she trudged upstairs, grabbing a towel as she passed and heading into the shower.

"Looks like another night alone," she said quietly to herself with disappointment in her voice, running the shower until it was hot, shedding her clothes and then stepping in.

~x~

"Hurry. Hurry. HUUURRRREEEEEE – "

"Dax, I'm almost there!"

"It's almost midnight. Ya already got into trouble three days ago for blowing up another Zoomer – "

"That was a Metal Head!"

"Don't worry, buddy...I know the truth." Daxter let slip a huge comedic wink. "Then yesterday, you left without telling her where you were goin' – "

"She's not my mother. 'Sides, she always knows I come back."

"And today – YOUR FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY, MAY I REMIND YOU! – you not only missed the chance of a huge dinner, but you're almost missin' it altogether. You better have a plan!"

"Trust me Daxter, I always have a plan."

The ottsel rolled his eyes. "Sure ya do. Like when we first crash landed in this dump. You had a plan then?"

"Of course I did! I was just in shock at the sudden differences between Haven and Sandover,"

"So say we all," Daxter countered dryly, "but then you _had_ to get into a scuffle with some KG – "

"Hey, we got away, didn't we?" Jak snapped irritatingly. "Anyway, I'm back now." He braked so hard it sent the ottsel flying off his shoulder and crashing into the opposite wall. Swinging one leg off and over the Zoomer, Jak crossed over to his best friend, hands on hips.

"Y'know, you look gay when you do that," Daxter grumbled from his upside-down position against the wall.

"Do wha?" Jak protested, squatting in front of his orange best friend (taking his hands off his hips, of course).

"The whole hands-on-hips thing. It's bad enough that yer waist is rid- _ic_ -ulously narrow and your hair is longer than the acceptable level, but when you do that you look even more like a girl – _OW!_ Easy on the goods!" he yelled, rubbing his head.

"At least I'm not covered in unwanted body hair," Jak sniggered, standing back up and folding his arms. " _That_ more masculine for ya, Dax?"

The ottsel narrowed his eyes, not daring to utter a response in case he got another smack round the head again.

"Now..." Jak straightened up, dusting himself off. "I got a girlfriend to deeply apologise to."

"'Deeply'?" Daxter repeated, sniggering for emphasis.

"That's what she said,"

"Yes, that _is_ what you said, big girl. ALRIGHT, I'M GOIN'!" he yelled before Jak could whack him again. "I gotta go see Tess anyway. Can't beat a day without a scratch behind the ears..." Without – strangely – another word, Daxter scrambled to his feet and took off in the night.

Jak chuckled and slammed the garage shut, locking and double-locking it. Haven was barely safe enough with the Guard's constant patrols as it was, but burglars and thieves made it worse. Sighing, he stretched and opened the door, noting with surprise that it was unlocked.

 _She must be home already_ , he thought, a small feeling of worry settling over him. If the door was unlocked, it meant Keira was at least in bed, if not already asleep. Checking the other doors – locked – he decided to go up and risk waking her up anyway.

Shedding himself of boots, he leapt up the stair. Hearing the sound of running water, he put two and two together and snuck into the bedroom, shedding the rest of his clothes, save his underwear.

He lay on the bed and waited for her to come in.

~x~

Keira could swear she heard footsteps above the running water. Turning the shower off, she wrapped a thick towel around her body and opened the door, stepping cautiously outside, fear pricking her nerves. Precursors, she wished she had a weapon handy. Her spare tools were in her bedroom.

_The bedroom!_

Silently, she darted towards the designated room, noting with a frown that it was ajar. Balling her fists with towel, she cautiously pushed the door open, letting the room flood with light.

"Hey, Keir,"

She almost dropped her towel in shock when she saw Jak on the bed, especially when she saw that he was almost completely naked.

" _Jak?_ How long have _you_ been back?"

"Not long," he said cockily, a half-smile on his face. "Sorry, hon. Mar-damned Metal Heads held us all up. I know, I should've called..."

"Sssh," she hushed him, treading silently towards the bed. In the moonlight, her hips swayed beneath the towel, the motion sending shivers of a particular kind through the young man on the bed. "You're here now. That's all that matters." Crawling over him, her legs either side of his own, she reached his face and pulled him into a long, deep and hungry kiss. A small moan sounded in his throat, especially when she straddled him, sitting on _that_ particular place.

He reached around and undid her towel, letting it fall.

"Happy anniversary, baby," she whispered hoarsely, leaning forward and kissing him again, fumbling with the last scrap of clothing on his body, peeling it away and down his legs. He kicked them away and rolled over, trapping her beneath him, uttering a little "ha-HA". His eyes caught the moonlight and he chuckled again.

"Happy anniversary, Keira," he whispered, sliding between her legs. And he meant it. He meant every word he said to her, save for the times when he was angry at her.

Just like he always promised he'd be back.


	9. Unity

_**Present day, 3 a.m.** _

Erol was in a bad mood once again. Today had not gone well by his standards. To be perfectly honest, he never had good days, but this one belonged to the level of excrement compared to his other days. Finally, three hours into the next day, he was allowed a reprieve.

 _Being Commander is not everything it appeared_ , he mused as he threw open the front door upon reaching home. _I do wonder how Torn managed...before he developed a conscience, that is._

Something clinked as he strode into the hall, interrupting his train of thought. Switching on the light, he removed his helmet and bent down to pick up the shards of glitter at his feet. Those shards amalgamated into a collection of metal objects on rings, which slipped through his fingers as he picked them up and studied them.

"Keira's keys?" he mused. "What are they doing here..." He looked up and around whilst filling his lungs with air, chest swelling. Before his face changed colour, he let that breath out in a yell of " _KEIRA!_ "

No response. Not even the brat crying.

_What's going on?_

He stormed upstairs, almost punching the doors open, the emptiness of the rooms jarring his head like the butt of a gun on a human skull. Slowly, he began to piece together exactly what had happened, especially as, when he ripped open the designated drawers, every single thing of Keira's was gone. Everything. It was forensically clean of her, as if she'd never been there.

_The brat!_

He darted into Daniel's room, which, apart from the stripped furniture, was also completely and utterly empty.

"They've gone!" he growled, his whole innards twisting painfully. Not with emotion – Precursors forbid _Erol_ feel _emotion_. No, it was...more down to hunger. "The whore and her brat!"

The Baron's words reverberated in his head.

_WHY DID YOU LET THE PRISONER ESCAPE?_

"The freak?" he whispered, aghast as it clicked. "Did he have something to do with it all?" _He must have done._

Growling, he threw Keira's keys distastefully onto the floor, causing a loud, hard _clang_ as they hit the floor. Although it was almost four in the morning, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, neither would he be able to go and look for the Hagai bitch right now. She was probably on the streets with that kid of hers or fucking some other man right now.

Both those notions made him angrier, his face turning as red as his hair.

Storming back outside, he took the Zoomer and sped off towards the Stadium, deciding to race a few laps around the Stadium by himself. Maybe it would work out his anger and stress as opposed to taking it out on Hagai.

He suddenly remembered the garage she had in the Stadium as he tore through Haven's streets.

And he grinned wickedly to himself.

~x~

_**1:30 a.m.** _

The couple were notably silent after that particular retelling.

"You remember that?" Jak said softly. At this point, the reunited couple were lying on the hard floor, a dim light illuminating one to the other.

_Almost touching. Almost._

"Of course I do," Keira replied softly. _It led to Daniel_ , she secretly and silently added.

Her right hand and Jak's left were resting loosely on the floor, their respective other arms providing some measure of comfort against the hard floor. Without warning, Jak used his middle finger to trace a line down Keira's middle finger, across the back of her hand and up her arm. Only lightly, but it triggered feelings that she hadn't had in ages.

_Did I ever fall out of love with you?_

She had tried to convince herself all this time that she had. What she'd told Erol did not and never matched her true feelings inside, even when he'd tried to beat her out of them.

His eyes snapped up, locking with hers.

_No...I never did._

"You didn't flinch," he said softly.

She could tell he was trying to control his tone. "I know you won't hurt me, Jak. Not on your life."

He seemed to retreat into himself for a minute. "Keir, this...thing inside me; the thing that...Praxis and...Erol put in me. I can't...I can't control it, as you've seen. When I'm angry, when I'm scared or threatened...it takes over. It hurts and kills everything and everyone it can. You saw what it did with Torn..." He shook his head, shaking off the shame that had descended upon him. "I can't...let anything happen to you because of me. Because of this thing!" He clenched his fists as a growl filled his throat on the last sentence.

Managing not to flinch at 'Erol', Keira put her hand over his, her long fingers like strands of pale spider webs. Eventually, Jak relaxed, knotting his fingers with hers.

"Jak..." she began, swallowing, trying to regain her composure. "No matter what happens...what changes you've gone through...I...I..." _Mar damn it, Keir, just say it_. "I love you. You should know that by now. I've always loved you. Always will do..."

"Then why did you run off with _him_ , whoever _he_ is?" Jak replied sharply.

"Why did YOU run off?" Keira bit back, hurt, retracting her fingers.

"No..." Jak began, but the words failed in his throat. "Keir, I..." He shook his head – no mean feat whilst lying on his side on the floor. "Forget I said it."

She nodded, trying a different tack, attempting to placate him. "You tired?"

"No," he said stubbornly.

"That's a yes then," she said lightly, eyes crinkling at the sides.

The damaged man chuckled, thumb caressing her skin. "That's one advantage to this thing. I don't tire as easily anymore,"

"Mm," she said noncommittally. "I guess that's a good thing. So...how did this...thing come to be inside you?"

Jak rolled onto his back and stared at the black ceiling, unwelcome memories of prison flooding back into his head. He heard the buzz of the machine as it injected Dark Eco into himself and other prisoners, smelled the putrid odour of rotting bodies from where Guards failed to clean the cells; felt the icy burn of the Dark Eco as it flooded his body; heard the screams, first and last, of the other prisoners. None of them survived. None of them lasted as long as he did.

"Why" was his only question.

"Jak?"

He snapped out of it and turned his attention back to Keira, who looked concerned.

"You okay there?"

"Yeah," he said automatically, swallowing. "I'm fine." He looked at her. "You sure you want to know where this thing came from?"

Keira nodded. "If it helps me understand, then yes."

 _It won't._ He took a deep breath. "Okay then...Here we go."


	10. Single Clarity

_**Two years previously** _

He knew that thanks to the activities of the Underground, the Guard patrols were more frequent and larger than ever. He also knew that they were watching more closely than ever, getting more paranoid about when the infrequent but sudden attacks from the Underground would happen, and how strong they were going to be.

This supposedly meant that he was supposed to keep his head down and not attract attention to himself. However, Jak being Jak and also the best friend of someone whom the phrase "not attract attention to himself" were as alien to him as a series of Metal Head grunts, he ignored the warnings completely.

"...so, what I'm sayin' is, maybe you should just... _what's_ the word...LISTEN to her more!"

"Since when have _you_ become the expert on love? He who can't hold a relationship for more than six hours,"

"Buddy, keep talkin' with that sharp tongue and you'll cut yourself."

"That a threat?"

"Ya want it to be?"

Jak shook his head. "Not particularly. Keira's the only one who I'd let kill me. She finds out, she'll kill you too,"

"Whatta way to go..." Daxter said, eyes half-closed. "Mmmm yeah. Crushed to death with _her_ , er, tools,"

"Ya mind?" Jak glared at the ottsel.

"Yes, I _do_ mind, _especially_ being looked at like that!" Daxter said defiantly. "Anyway, what's the Tattooed Wonder want with us now?"

"You're really fixed on that nickname, aren't you?" Jak shook his head again. "He just wants us to deliver a few parcels off to Krew,"

" _That_ tub o' lard?" Daxter shrieked, wrinkling up his nose.

"Now who's behaving like a girl?" Jak raised his eyebrows to prove his point.

"Oy," Daxter said shortly. "At least I don't have a ridiculously narrow waist. I could probably put my arms around it and I'd still have some space for a leg or two in the gap,"

Jak growled, narrowing his eyes.

Daxter simply looked smug.

"You think Torn's quit the Guard yet?" the human wondered, hauling the subject away from him.

"Do I?" the ottsel snorted. "I think he can't make up his mind 'bout which side he wants to be on, that's what I think!"

Jak said nothing, continuing the walk towards the Underground Hideout. After crossing an uneven square and rounding a corner, it was waiting for them, shiny and new, with stacks of dark parcels tied to the back of it.

The best friends looked at each other.

"That is suh- _weet!_ " Daxter exclaimed, whistling. "Ol' Tub o' Lard sure knows his vehicles..."

"He should do, Dax, he's a crime lord who frequently bets on the races that take place there." Jak swung a leg over the seat and turned the key, causing the engine to purr. Pushing his foot down, it took off quicker than expected and he had to yank the handlebars to stop it crashing into the nearby wall.

"It sure don't ride how it looks," Daxter commented dubiously.

"It's a Zoomer, what do you expect?" Jak snorted, squaring his shoulders and increasing the acceleration.

~x~

 _Today will be the day,_ a young Captain thought as he led his patrol through the streets of Haven. _Today will be the day that I capture this boy and I will_ not _stop until he's out cold and in my hands._

He sighed, shaking his head. He was the fifth Captain to be assigned to this task in the five years since the boy and his gang had literally crash-landed in Haven before disappearing, assumed to be working with the Underground. Word had soon quickly spread of the hot-headed blonde man and his bright orange rat assisting the Underground in more ways than anyone could have guessed, albeit in small ways.

The young man had logically (and wrongly, though he didn't know that) assumed that if this blonde man was caught, then he would lead him to the rest of the Underground. The result being no more resistance against the Baron, the "disappearance" of his double-agent right-hand man Torn and, possibly, a promotion for _him._

He grinned to himself at that thought process, continuing his patrol.

Suddenly – irritatingly – a vehicle zoomed by over his head before rounding a corner. The KG Captain caught sight of a flash of orange and a streak of bright blonde.

_Got you, Jak._

"Follow that Zoomer!" he yelled, pressing a concealed button calling every Guard to the square.

~x~

They hadn't been travelling for very long when suddenly, an alarm sounded.

"Whassat?" Daxter yelped.

Glancing quickly behind him, Jak saw swarms of Krimzon Guard gathering and amalgamating into one red and black mass, like a swarm of vicious bees.

"They're onto us!" he yelled, increasing the acceleration. He knew they were near Krew's, but he had to shake them off.

The swarm got larger.

_Shit. Shit, there's loads of them!_

A burning shot narrowly missed Jak's arm, singing the material.

"Faster, Jak!" Daxter yelped again. "They're behind us on those Zoomer-cycle things!"

 _Shit_ , Jak mentally cursed again, taking a sharp turn. He was disappointed to hear a lack of explosions as a KG or twenty had a meeting with stone walls. Dropping lower, narrowly avoiding a deadly shot, he doubled back, squeezing the handles so hard he thought his fingers were going to break. _Gotta get this stuff to Krew, whatever it is._

"Suspect in Sector Five," he heard behind him.

"WATCH OUT FOR THE TOWERS!" Daxter screamed.

"Fffuuu – " Jak pulled the Zoomer up against yet another tight curve, narrowly avoiding the large concrete towers in the middle of the port. _If I can just –_

That was when a Guard pulled up in his path.

 _Oh, for the love of Mar!_ The blonde man thought, racing up in the air again. He was almost at Krew's with the packages – if he could just –

And that was when he saw the typical beam of yellow light that marked where he should park.

"Almost there!" Daxter yelled, as if to vocally confirm this.

"I KNOW!" Jak yelled back, dropping height again and braking hard. The vehicle squealed, but was parked directly in the centre of the yellow beam, where it disappeared instantly.

The Krimzon Guard, however, were not.

"RUN!" Daxter yelled, and Jak did. He took off quicker than anyone could draw breath, spotting a Zoomer directly above him. Knocking the poor owner off, he flexed his fingers and hammered on the accelerator pedal to oblivion just as the swarm of Guards closed in on him. This Zoomer, however, had seen much better days, and whilst in the Guard section of the city, one well-aimed shot blew the Zoomer up and sent the duo sailing to the ground.

They barely had time to shake off the dust before a patrol marched up to them, led by one unmasked redheaded man.

"Ah, _Jak_ ," he said, spitting the name with obvious relish. "We've found you at last,"

"Took you long enough, Erol," the blonde hissed. "You guys too busy worrying about your wasitlines to catch me sooner, huh?"

This snarky comment earned him a wallop in the face from a Guard.

"Don't, we need him in one piece!" Erol hissed to the offending Guard. "Well, I will give you _some_ measure of credit. You were very good at hiding...though I'm sure going Underground would do that to someone,"

 _Clever fucker._ Jak instantly knew what he was getting at. Spitting out blood and a molar from the smack in the face, he laughed again. "Thankyou, _Erol_. So what's your plan, huh? Torture me for information on the whereabouts and people of the Underground?" He folded his arms. "You picked the wrong Havener to chase,"

"We'll see," Erol hissed, rattled by Jak's comments, "after a few Dark Eco treatments. Tell me, have you ever heard of the Dark Warrior Programme?"

"What, the series of experiments you run on innocent civilians because you guys are too weak to fight the Metal Heads? Oh yeah sure, I've heard of it,"

This earned another whack from another Guard. The rest looked at Erol as if for permission.

"Get him," was all he said, icily.

As hard as Jak fought over the next minutes, he was severely outnumbered. He liked to think he was a good fighter, but even he knew this was one he couldn't win.

A crack around the head from a Guard's gun butt finally sent him spiralling into darkness, his last thought the last grip on reality.

_Keira..._


End file.
